A reader of this blog ask me a question about the clinical trials that are available to me at Sarah Cannon Institute in Nashville. I thought someone else might be curious about it so I'm posting information on those two clinical trials. If you do a Google search on either of these numbers, you will be able to get more information on them. Both of them are Phase 1.

GBR 1342 101 (I could not enter this until March next year.)

BFCR4350A

We arrived for testing at the Myeloma Institute this morning at 6:30 and ended today at 6:30. We did get a four hour break during the day and we used it to catch up some on our lost sleep. I got a unit of blood today so that should help me feel some better because my hemoglobin was low.
I have decided that no matter what the doctor tells me tomorrow I'm going to try not to be shocked.
Thank you all so much for following along with us and leaving your comments, texts and emails.

We didn't go anywhere today and just stayed in the apartment.
Testing starts tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. but there will be blocks of time in the testing where I will have some free time. I would have preferred that I would be able to get it all done at once but my last appointment is about 3:30 tomorrow.
Thank you all for your nice comments and Joanie for your offer to help us get back home. We should be able to make it just fine but thank you.

There is not much to report today. I am still coping with the pain from the lesion in my upper back. I was scheduled for 10 radiation treatments on it but I was only able to get 5 before we left for this trip. The pain medication I take works pretty well until it gets up near the time that it is time to take more and it gets pretty painful. I was not having any pain at all from this area till about 3 weeks ago. I was hoping that the radiation treatments would stop it before I left to come on this trip.
That is all for now.... Jerry

We traveled today from Jackson to Little Rock. We were able to get an apartment from Home Away from Home but this apartment is at Palisades. It is a very nice apartment but we don't like it as well as we do the ones at The Lofts.
We stopped and visited with my brother in Memphis this afternoon. We didn't arrive here until after dark. During the next two days we plan on doing nothing but resting and relaxing and just enjoy doing nothing. My first appointment on Monday at 6:30 am.
I hope everyone has a good weekend.

We were disappointed to find out that I did not qualify for the car T-cell clinical trial. I did not qualify due to the having a mini-stroke stroke back about four years ago. The car T Cell therapy is apparently pretty risky. The research nurse told me that everybody was not suited for this treatment. The doctor was very nice and told me about other clinical trials that they had going on that I would qualify for. One of them they talked at length about was one that I could not start on until March of next year. It would require me to be hospitalized three days for the first treatment and then 3 days for the second treatment but after that I would not have to be hospitalized.
We didn't receive the answer that we were hoping for today but the door is not closed and we still have hope. The doctor felt confident that I could get on a treatment now that would slow down the progression of the myeloma. It has progressed very quickly in the month.
We will continue and go on to Little Rock for testing and then meet with Dr Van Rhee next Tuesday. We are spending the night in Jackson Tennessee.

December 14, 2017

We left this morning at 6:40 a.m. headed to Nashville. We are in Crossville now having breakfast. The place where we normally stop at Exit 347 was closed due to remodeling. We are both really nervous about what we will learn from the doctor today. Please pray that we will get good news today.